No.2  April 2009  
   Crop Prospects and Food Situation

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Highlights

Countries in crisis requiring external assistance (total: 31 countries)

Food emergencies update

Special feature: New Internet tool on domestic food prices

Global cereal supply and demand brief

Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries’ food situation overview

Special feature: Prices in developing countries remain high

Regional reviews

Statistical appendix

Note

Countries in crisis requiring external assistance 1
(total: 31 countries)

Nature of Food Insecurity

Main Reasons

Changes from last report

(February 2009)

AFRICA (20 countries)

Exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies

   

Kenya

Lingering effects of civil strife, adverse weather

 

Lesotho

Low productivity, HIV/AIDS pandemic

 

Somalia

Conflict, economic crisis, adverse weather

 

Swaziland

Low productivity, HIV/AIDS pandemic

 

Zimbabwe

Deepening economic crisis

 

Widespread lack of access

   

Eritrea

IDPs, economic constraints

 

Liberia

War related damage, pests

 

Mauritania

Several years of drought

 

Sierra Leone

War related damage

 

Severe localized food insecurity

   

Burundi

Civil strife, IDPs and returnees

 

Central African Republic

Refugees, insecurity in parts

 

Chad

Refugees, conflict

 

Congo

IDPs

 

Côte d'Ivoire

Conflict related damage

 

Democratic Republic of Congo

Civil strife, returnees

 

Ethiopia

Insecurity in parts, localized crop failure

 

Guinea

Refugees, conflict related damage

 

Guinea-Bissau

Localized insecurity

 

Sudan

Civil strife (Darfur), insecurity (southern Sudan), localized crop failure

 

Uganda

Localized crop failure, insecurity

 

ASIA/NEAR EAST (9 countries)

Exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies

   

Iraq

Conflict and insufficient rainfall

 

Widespread lack of access

   

Afghanistan

Conflict and insecurity, inadequate rainfall

 

Dem. People's Rep. of Korea

Economic constraints

 

Severe localized food insecurity

   

Bangladesh

Past floods and cyclone

 

Iran, Islamic Rep. of

Past drought

 

Myanmar

Past cyclone

 

Nepal

Poor market access and drought in the west

 

Sri Lanka

Conflict, IDPs

 

Timor-Leste

IDPs

 

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (2 countries)

Severe localized food insecurity

   

Haiti

Past floods and other hurricane damage

 

Honduras

Past floods

 

 Shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies   Widespread lack of access   Severe localized food insecurity

COUNTRIES WITH UNFAVOURABLE PROSPECTS FOR CURRENT CROPS 2

AFRICA (5 countries)
Angola Erratic rains +
Ethiopia Late onset of belg rains +
Mozambique Erratic rains +
Tunisia Insufficient rainfall  
Zimbabwe Economic constraints  
ASIA/NEAR EAST (5 countries)
Afghanistan Adverse weather, limited input supplies and high food prices  
China Drought (northern and western parts)  
Israel Drought +
Jordan Drought +
Syrian Arab Republic Drought +
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (1 country)
Argentina Insufficient rainfall  
   No change    Improving    Deteriorating +    New entry

TERMINOLOGY

1 Countries in crisis requiring external assistance are expected to lack the resources to deal with reported critical problems of food insecurity. Food crises are nearly always due to a combination of factors but for the purpose of response planning, it is important to establish whether the nature of food crises is predominantly related to lack of food availability, limited access to food, or severe but localized problems. Accordingly, the list of countries requiring external assistance is organized into three broad, not mutually exclusive, categories:

    Countries facing an exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies as a result of crop failure, natural disasters, interruption of imports, disruption of distribution, excessive post-harvest losses, or other supply bottlenecks.

    Countries with widespread lack of access, where a majority of the population is considered to be unable to procure food from local markets, due to very low incomes, exceptionally high food prices, or the inability to circulate within the country.

    Countries with severe localized food insecurity due to the influx of refugees, a concentration of internally displaced persons, or areas with combinations of crop failure and deep poverty.

2 Countries facing unfavourable prospects for current crops are countries where prospects point to a shortfall in production of current crops as a result of a reduction of the area planted and/or adverse weather conditions, plant pests, diseases and other calamities which indicate a need for close monitoring of the crops for the remainder of the growing season.

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